A Federal Reserve meeting and the jobs report for October are the highlights of the week.

MONDAY

The purchasing-managers index for manufacturing is expected to drop to 60.3 in October from 61.1 in September, an indication that factories are finding a way to overcome the supply crunch that has made it hard to find raw materials and other inputs.

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A Federal Reserve meeting and the jobs report for October are the highlights of the week.

MONDAY

The purchasing-managers index for manufacturing is expected to drop to 60.3 in October from 61.1 in September, an indication that factories are finding a way to overcome the supply crunch that has made it hard to find raw materials and other inputs.

WEDNESDAY

The Federal Reserve wraps up a two-day meeting and Fed Chair Jerome Powell holds a press conference. Economists expect the Fed to hold rates steady and to announce it is starting to pull back on its asset purchases.

Activity in the U.S. services sector is expected to maintain its momentum. The services purchasing-managers index for October is expected to hold relatively steady at 61.8 from 61.9 in September, an indication that businesses are bouncing back from Covid-related disruptions.

THURSDAY

U.S. jobless claims are forecast to hold at 282,000 from 281,000 the previous week. Claims have fallen over the past few weeks as the labor market has tightened. The data on claims, a proxy for layoffs, will cover the week ended Oct. 30.

The U.S. trade deficit is expected to widen to a record of $80.3 billion in September from $73.3 billion in August. Strong consumer demand has been fueling a rise in imports.

FRIDAY

U.S. employers are expected to have added 450,000 jobs in October, up from 194,000 in September, the slowest pace of the year. The unemployment rate is expected to decline slightly to 4.7% from 4.8%.